Neom defeated hosts Al-Hilal by two goals to nil, in the match that brought them together on Monday evening as part of the sixth round of the Saudi Roshn League. The promoted team achieved a valuable victory against the league leaders and put an end to Al-Hilal's perfect start to the season.
Neom succeeded in taking an early lead in the 15th minute, after Kalidou Koulibaly mistakenly put the ball into his own net, giving the visitors an important advantage at the start of the match.
Before the end of the first half, Amadou Koné extended Neom's lead by scoring the second goal in the 45th minute, allowing his team to go into the break with a two-goal advantage, with Al-Hilal facing great difficulty in getting back into the game.
Al-Hilal's lineup witnessed an emergency change before the start of the match, after Moroccan Yassine Bounou felt pain in his hamstring muscles after the warm-up concluded, and he left the starting lineup before the opening whistle.
Al-Hilal's technical staff decided to field goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais instead of Bounou, while Mohammed Al-Rubaie sat on the bench, an emergency adjustment necessitated by the injury sustained by the Moroccan goalkeeper.
Al-Hilal entered the match at the top of the Roshn League with a perfect record, having collected 15 points from five rounds, three points ahead of Al-Nassr and Al-Qadisiyah.
In contrast, Neom raised its tally to 12 points after this victory, after having accumulated 9 points from three wins and two losses before the start of the sixth round.
With this win, Neom halted Al-Hilal's perfect start, as they inflicted their first defeat in the Roshn League this season, opening the door for increased competition for the top spot in the standings in the coming rounds.